COVID-19: China Follows Islam to Fight Coronavirus

Coronavirus

The dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought people of the world (Muslims and non Muslims) closer to Allah in so many ways. 

Non Muslims now perform aspects of wudu (ablution) regularly without knowing, people now sneeze in their elbows as was taught by Muhammad (SAW) and who knows what will follow. 

Shockingly, even documented Islamophobes are coming closer to sanity. 

Donald Trump on 1st April acknowledge that the niqab (Islamic face veil) is a good thing and efficacious against COVID-19. 

Islam Helps Prevent Epidemics

While responding to a complaint about the scarcity of face masks during a press briefing at the White House, Donald Trump said, “You can use a scarf. A lot of people have scarves. You can use a scarf. Scarf would be very good. My feeling is that people want to do it, there’s certainly no harm to it. I would say do it, but use a scarf if you want, rather than going out and getting a mask.”

Islam lays heavy emphasis on diet, Muslims can be said to be the most diet cautious people in the world.

On Tuesday March 3rd, the standing committee of the Shenzhen People's Congress in the Chinese city of Shenzhen introduced a draft regulation to ban the eating of cats and dogs as part of a nationwide initiative to enforce a "total ban" on the consumption of wild animals following the Covid-19 outbreak. The draft stated that those who breach the regulations will be fined up to 20,000 Yuan.

In a draft document published on Wednesday April 8th, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture overtly hinted at a move towards a permanent nationwide ban on the sale of dog meat, discussions on the issue have been open to public consultation until May 8th.

The document read, "With the progress of human civilization and the public's concern and preference for animal protection, dogs have changed from traditional domestic animals to companion animals. Dogs are generally not regarded as livestock and poultry around the world, and China should also not manage them as livestock and poultry."

This is the first time the central Chinese government will be commenting on dogs.

This draft is coming ahead of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, the 10-day festival held in the city of Yulin which began in 2009. Thousands of dogs are consumed during the carnival.

According to the Humane Society International, roughly 10 million dogs are killed annually in China for household consumption.

Islam has a strong and general prohibition all beasts of prey except for aquatic ones. The fleshes of the dog and the pig have carried the greatest scorn, probably due to their easy availability.

Abdullah Ibn Abbas reported that Allah's Messenger (SAW) prohibited the eating of all fanged beasts of prey, and all the birds having talons.

These include dogs, cats and similar animals. It also includes birds with teeth for biting like bats. This hadith has been narrated under so many authorities.

Particularly, the saliva of a dog and anything that has to do with dogs (irrespective of specie) is considered a great impurity in Islam. In a December 2003 study by the Medical association of Thailand, it was documented that dog’s saliva contains 20 types of bacteria. Other studies suggest that dogs carry about 50 diseases in their saliva.

Muhammad (SAW) said: “If a dog licks the vessel of one of you, let him wash it seven times and rub it with soil the eighth time.”

Cats are desired in Islam although, not for consumption. But dogs is a no no.

Maimuna bint al Harith (a mother of the faithful) reported that one morning Allah's Messenger (SAW) was silent with grief. Maimuna said: Allah's Messenger, I find a change in your mood today. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "Gabriel had promised me that he would meet me tonight, but he did not meet me. By Allah, he never broke his promises", and Allah's Messenger (SAW) spent the day in this sad mood. Then it occurred to him that there had been a puppy under their cot. He commanded and it was turned out. He then took some water in his hand and sprinkled it at that place. When it was evening Gabriel met him and he said to him: "you promised me that you would meet me the previous night". He said: Yes, but we do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture. Then on that very morning he commanded the killing of the dogs until he announced that the dog kept for the orchards should also be killed, but he spared the dog meant for the protection of extensive fields.

Sahih Muslim